1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to communications systems and more particularly to methods for synchronizing events between communications devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
A layer one timer is a peripheral that aids in synchronizing over-the-air events with the frame event timing of a base station. One of the features of a layer one timer is an event table, which can support, for example, one or more macro tables. As is known in the art, a macro table can be used to define a fixed sequence of events, such as for a receive or transmission burst or for use as a signal strength measurement. Macro tables are considered useful because they minimize the amount of software interaction required with the layer one timer.
To allow a sequence of events to be repeated, a loop structure can be implemented for a macro table. This loop structure is similar to a software loop, as events inside the macro table are repeated based on a loop counter value. This technique can free the system's software from reprogramming the same macro table several times during the repetition of an over-the-air activity. Unfortunately, the loop counter value must be known before the macro table is accessed, and this value cannot be changed once the macro table is committed to run. Moreover, the macro table cannot be reprogrammed while it is running, as an attempt to do so may cause an internal bus error. These shortcomings may present a problem if it is desired to terminate the macro table early, such as when a system change occurs that may prompt a response in the unit containing the layer one timer. The macro table must run through each loop iteration until the loop counter value is reached, which wastes both time and battery life, if applicable.